Field of Art
The present disclosure relates to a transfer cap for a photoresist container.
Description of the Related Art
It is often necessary to ship chemically hazardous fluids such as photoresist. These fluids are typically shipped via a bottle that includes a cap.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2000-142772 discloses a cap that includes a filter and a pressure release valve which releases pressure from the container if the container becomes over-pressurized. While, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2008-230691 discloses a bottle cap with a tube connected to the bottle cap. Also, US Patent Publication No. 2009/0049988 discloses a container with a gas-permeable vent that has a liquid-tight gas-permeable seal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,825 discloses a shipping container that includes a bung with at least two openings. One of the openings of the bung includes a dip tube. Another opening of the bung includes a gas filter. Both openings of the bung are sealed with plugs during shipment of the filled container.
Shipping containers with one or more ports such as a vent port and/or a dispensing port experience multiple issues. For example, a shipping container may experience leaks when opening the vent port on a resist bottle. These leaks may take the form of resist bubbling out the vent port. This can cause problems for shipping hazardous materials. In addition, during transport and shipping overseas, the liquid can flow into one or more of the ports if and when the bottle gets pressurized. If the vent port is uncapped under these conditions, there is no protection against residual fluid flowing or shooting out of the newly opened port. This situation poses a safety hazard especially when handling chemically hazardous fluids.
US Patent Publication No. 2015/0083274 discloses a universal manifold for attaching to various different storage containers. US Patent Publication No. 2001/0013882 discloses bottles that use a puncture seal to deliver the liquid to a main reservoir. US Patent Publication No. 2006/0012659 discloses a bottle that is shipped with a solid cap. Once the bottle is received the solid cap is unscrewed and a cap with a dip tube is attached. These systems can cause problems with purity by generating particles and also allowing contaminates to enter the bottle.
What is needed is a system that is both safe and allows for the purity of the material to be maintained at a high level.